Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for optimizing the performance of vehicle safety systems based on driver/passenger size and, more particularly, to a system and method for optimizing the performance of vehicle safety systems for a particular vehicle seat occupant, where the method sets the performance of the safety systems based on the fore-aft position of the vehicle seat and the weight of the occupant.
Discussion of the Related Art
Modern vehicles often include systems for automatically setting various components and features in the vehicle for a particular vehicle driver and/or passenger, many of which are based on the size of the driver and the personal preferences of the driver. Particularly, modern vehicles are generally designed to allow persons of varying sizes and preferences to adjust features of vehicle systems for each person's comfort, convenience and operational needs. These vehicle features can include vehicle seats, foot pedals, rear-view mirrors, steering columns, etc. To reduce the burden of readjusting the selected features of a vehicle, some vehicles employ a memory system that stores the preferred settings for one or more users that is configured to automatically adjust the vehicle systems to the preferred settings upon request.
Modern vehicles also include a number of safety devices and systems that protect the vehicle occupants during a crash event, such as airbag systems and seat belt systems. Vehicle airbag systems are complex systems that are designed to protect the vehicle occupants. For example, airbag systems need to be designed so that they are not activated unless the crash event is significant enough, they are not activated unless the crash event is from the proper direction, the airbag is deployed fast enough during the crash event, the airbag is filled with enough gas to protect the vehicle occupant during the crash event and the airbag is properly vented so that the gas can escape from the airbag with the proper flow rate when the vehicle occupant is forced against the airbag so as dissipate the kinetic energy of the occupant without causing high rebound speed.
Vehicle seat belt systems may be equipped with a load-limiter that limits the load on the seat belt so that it provides proper restraint forces to safely protect the belted occupant in a crash event. Particularly, during a crash event where the seat belt wearer may be forced into the seat belt with high inertia force, the load-limiter allows the seat belt to extend or give a certain amount so that the seat belt force during the event is high enough to provide the needed restraint, but not to cause injury to the wearer.
Typically, the airbag filling and venting rate, the seat belt load-limiter tension and other safety features in the vehicle are set for an “average” person and may not be optimized for persons of lower weights and sizes and persons of higher weights and sizes. Therefore, it would be ideal to provide a system and method that automatically personalizes the driver safety features on a vehicle for different individuals.
Currently it is known in the art to set certain vehicle safety systems based solely on the weight of the occupant of a seat. Further, it is also currently known in the art to set certain vehicle safety systems based solely on the fore-aft position of the seat.